Components, in particular vehicular components used in automotive vehicles, which are to be mated together in a manufacturing process may be mutually located with respect to each other by alignment features that are oversized holes and/or undersized upstanding bosses. Such alignment features are typically sized to provide spacing to freely move the components relative to one another to align them without creating an interference therebetween that would hinder the manufacturing process. One such example includes two-way and/or four-way male alignment features; typically upstanding bosses, which are received into corresponding female alignment features, typically apertures in the form of slots or holes. The components are formed with a predetermined clearance between the male alignment features and their respective female alignment features to match anticipated size and positional variation tolerances of the male and female alignment features that result from manufacturing (or fabrication) variances.
As a result, significant positional variation can occur between two mated components having the aforementioned alignment features, which may contribute to the presence of undesirably large variation in their alignment, particularly with regard to gaps and/or spacing therebetween. In the case where misaligned components are also part of another assembly, such misalignment may also affect the function and/or aesthetic appearance of the entire assembly. Regardless of whether such misalignment is limited to two components or an entire assembly, it can negatively affect function and result in a perception of poor quality. Moreover, clearance between misaligned components may lead to relative motion therebetween, which may cause undesirable noise such as squeaking, rattling, and slapping.
Further, to align and secure components, the aforementioned male and female alignment features may be employed in combination with separate securing features, such as nuts and bolts, snap/push-in fasteners, plastic rivets, and snap rivets, to name a few, that serve to secure the components to each other. In such an assembly, the mating components are located relative to each other by the alignment features, and are fixed relative to each other by the securing features.
Additionally, some vehicles may include components such as wiring, drain hoses, conduit, etc., and it may be desirable to bundle and/or secure such components within the vehicle so they do not get in the way or get damaged. Some known vehicles utilize electrical tape or other similar wrap with x-mas tree-type fasteners to secure these components. For example, x-mas tree or fir tree fastener designs have fingers or tabs extending from a base, and the x-mas tree is pushed in to a component by an operator. Some of the fingers will overlap a mating hole to keep the fastener within the mating hole. However, the base typically has a clearance condition to the mating hole and allows the fastener to move in the hole, resulting in a slipping condition. Additionally, wrap and/or fasteners may become loose and wear out during their life (e.g., adhesive degrades, plastic tabs break off), which may result in component movement and undesirable buzz, squeak, or rattle noises.